Systems for communicating intelligences, such as speech, from a local point to a remote point over a laser light beam include a means for modulating the light beam. Known light modulators for use with lasers include modulators employing the Kerr effect, the Pockels effect, the acoustically-excited Bragg effect, the magnetic Kerr effect, the Cotton-Moulton effect and the electrochromic effect. The prior art modulators each suffer from some disadvantage, such as expense or unreliability. The light modulator to be described herein has the advantages of being able to handle a relatively large throughput, being easily fabricated at low cost, being small, lightweight, rugged, reliable, efficient and requiring very little modulation power.